Who I am:
I am a 40 year old home cook, who is passionate about food and vegetarianism. I have cooked all my life, and love to feed my friends and family.
A year ago, my GoddessMother challenged me to spend a year cooking. I was thinking about where my life was going and wasnt sure what I should do and she asked me that magic question – “If you could do anything you wanted to do, and had the freedom and time to do it, what would you do?” I said, without thought or pause, “I would cook.” My GoddessMother helped me expose what my soul already knew – at heart, I am a cook. Its what I want to do and love to do all the time.
I turned 40 in March. My challenge to myself was to post at least 1 recipe every day on this blog – delicious, delectable, tasty, happy making vegetarian recipes. I cook everything I post. I wasnt quite successful in posting every day – but I did post 2 days out of 3, which isnt bad 😉 And its given me a great basis of recipes which define how I cook and see the world.
I will be going to Ballymaloe Cooking School in Ireland this May … and then, I will try and find a path that will integrate my passion for cooking with my need to make a living!
I would love to hear from you! Email me at pia(at)delectablecooks.com x
Why I am a delectable vegetarian cook:
I am a vegetarian because I believe that we need to live on this earth and tread lightly, and cause the least harm (the philosophy of ahimsa) – but I havent been “good” enough to become a vegan (as you can see from the abundant use of eggs, bread and cheese on this blog!).
I always try and buy local, organic and fresh. I would rather purchase 10 organic local eggs, than 12 battery eggs – and I try and use them carefully and with fore-thought. A small wedge of organic pecorino has twenty times more flavour then a big wheel of factory produced waxy fake pecorino. When buying fruits and vegetables, I always look at what the organic shop has, and whats stocked in the organic aisle, before buying in the supermarket. I do buy non-organic – its too expensive to be completely organic, but as much as I can, and where I can, I try to balance things out.
I love animals, and always have, and I cannot imagine eating one. Its gotten to the point where I physically cant eat meat – I get sick – but I dont try and make others subscribe to my way of life. However, cooking is one of my tools to introduce people to the pleasures of vegetarian food – many of the people in my life love to eat what I cook, and often are astounded that there is no meat in the dishes they devour. This gives me great satisfaction.
Hopefully, at Ballymaloe, I will begin to learn the tools (at 40! better late then never!) to implement my way of life into a means to support myself. This blog is my way of keeping track of my thoughts, my recipes, my memories. I hope you enjoy it, and if you are a meat eater, I hope that it seduces you just a little into considering a vegetarian night once a week – or all the time!
Love and light, P
delectable 
Hi, Pia! Not sure if you remember me, but we went to Dalton together. I see your posts on Facebook all the time and I just wanted to tell you that I LOVE your blog and I am completely inspired by what you’re doing! And that’s all I wanted to say! I will keep reading, and I am rooting you on for cooking school next May.
All the best,
Nicole (Roberts) Burley
Of course I remember you! Thank you, Nicole. I am having a wonderful time doing this blog – its been a beautiful journey of discovering my own voice and passion. About time too, now that I am approaching 40! 😉 Thank you for your support … its scary going out into the world to start anew like this, but its also totally freeing. I so appreciate you reading it and enjoying it 🙂 Much love, P
Hi Pia, lovely blog…I like your style of writing and expression. Was great to make macaroons with you today.
Melanie x
Thanks Melanie! Was lovely meeting you too … and we are really enjoying those macarons tonight 🙂 Glad youre enjoying the blog 😉
Sounds like a wonderful plan.
I’m hoping so … Congratulations on starting your blog … looks awesome!
omg! wot an awesome blog! how come we’ve never met before!! we hv 47 mutual friends on fb! haha
Thank you Nilam! I have no idea 😉 May be we have and dont know it? 🙂
Hi Pia. I live in South Africa, and subscribe to many of your sentiments about lifestyle. I am currently writing a vegetarian cookbook (my fourth cookbook) and as a result have decided to commit myself to a year of vegetarian living – up till now I’ve only dabbled in vegetarianism episodically. There are such dubious practices in meat production nowadays that I for one cannot justify eating meat for pleasure any longer. I love your blog and your recipes, and look forward to many happy hours reading your blog. I’ve started a vegetarian blog lusciousvegetarian.wordpress.com to track my progress over the next year, I’d love to hear your comments and contributions!
Thank you so much, Sonia for your comments and encouragement. Just a word of warning though … once vegetarian, you may never want to go back! 😉 Your blog is absolutely beautiful. I will definitely check back often 🙂 (and PS, I am half South African… check out the recipe I concocted for a vegetarian version of picnic bread) 😉 x
Dear Pia, I hope the half of you that is South African is the sensible half! LOL. We’ve had some terrible food scares in South Africa recently. Which does not surprise me at all, since as a former journalist I tend to keep my ears close to the ground, and with the lax governmental attitude people have been getting away with heinous practises. It’s about time for the general public to wake up to what chefs have known all along – food is only as good as the suppliers who provide it. I am a Slow Food devotee, and have been trying to open a slow food food cafe and food shop for a while, will keep chugging along until it materialises but what with the economy here it’s not as simple as it seems. Everything is about essentials now, and for some reason people still see clean, ethically produced organic food as a luxury here. Go figure. 😦 Your blog is beautiful and hugely inspirational, keep up and keep going!
Heh Sonia, Im not so sure about sensible 😉 South Africans (at least the ones I know) all tend to be a bit mad in a lovely way 🙂 I live in Malaysia at the moment, and I revel in the ability to access food that has been grown organically by people I know. I love the fact that when I eat, the food I consume has not caused pain or suffering to sentient beings. And I am humbled by the chance to immerse myself in the preparation of food, with love, for those who wish to nourish their bodies and souls. These are the reasons I am a vegetarian, and why I started this blog. I have to admit, I dont know much about slow food, but I think it has the same philosophical underpinnings – to be present, thankful, humble and aware about what we consume and why. Thank you SO much for your enthusiasm – when I started this blog, I thought may be 2 people would read it – and now I am making friends from near and far. That is such a wonderful gift! Stay well x
Oh I am passionately South African, but I agree we are a mad bunch. Or, as a Turkish friend of mine chose to put it, ‘touched by god’. About slow food: you can read about it here – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slow_Food
One of the things I have found about cooking, not only for a living but in general, is that it’s a very unifying thing. Everybody understands hunger, and everybody understands pleasure. One of the things I love the most about my job is that I get to make people feel good, and I also get to spend most of my time (when I am not writing) in very good company, talking, eating, drinking and laughing. Not much wrong with that! However, I am extremely conscious of what I put into my body, and I have a very deep love for the planet that sustains us. So my mission is to do my bit to help raise consciousness about what we eat, why we eat it and where it comes from. Glad to be making your virtual acquainttance. And I would LOVE to see some photos of Malaysian street food and restaurants and local cooks that you meet, do you have a page for that on your blog?
Hi Pia, I am enjoying discovering your wonderful blog. I loved the look of the blondies, as I have the same feeling about brownies, love the texture, but too rich, so, I am looking forward to trying this recipe. All the pictures look absolutely amazing too. Talk soon, Love Heidi (the singer) xx
Heidi! My love! 😉 I cant get your astoundingly gorgeous voice out of my head 🙂 Amazing you left this message just as I am baking a batch of brownies to take to a theatre reading later tonight 🙂 Next time you come, will cook for you … so glad youre enjoying the blog xxx
Hi Pia,
It was lovely meeting you today. We had the best carrot cake ever and I’m certainly not brown-nosing. You have a very interesting blog and I’ll certainly be following it and your ‘adventures’ with O Gourmet. Happy Holidays!
Hi Ping … It was such great fun meeting you too and doing the photoshoot. I had a great time! Cant wait to see the finished photos 🙂 And thank you for enjoying the carrot cake – nothing gives me more pleasure than knowing that people enjoy what I put my love and passion into 🙂 Have a wonderful Christmas and will be following your blog too! 🙂 x
Thxs for showing me your site.I love your passion and your search for wholesome foods.I also sometimes buy nonorganic food but limit it only when broke.LOL..
Although being labeled organic these days can be misleading too as the big agro business’s are jumping on the bandwagon.Many organic foods are being factory grown too and sometimes difficult to know if they are genuine..Also many organic foods are coming out of China,and I am wary of their organic certifications,air pollution and water quality.
Buying from local farms and in season helps the local economy and best for flavor and nutrition quality.
Sorry if I am ranting on…My passion too.lol..
I love your site.
So glad you enjoyed the site, Sun! And yes, I agree with you, organic is best, if possible… given budget constraints 🙂 And local goes hand in hand with that philosophy too 🙂 Hope you enjoy the rest of the site! x P